Dinner with friends – Enjoyed the conversation!

Dinner with Friends

So, I was in Hyderabad thinking how to while away a weekend when a colleague of mine suggested I join her for a play. Now I am not the big theatre fanatic but I was certainly curious. She told me we were going to see ‘Dinner with Friends’ at Shilpakala Vedika, an auditorium in Kondapur.
I recalled seeing the hoardings put up in various parts of the city with the cast looking all pouty and staring at you. I remembered thinking that with a title like ‘Dinner with Friends’, you would expect more happy faces.
Anyways, at 7:30 pm on a cool Saturday evening, I found myself sitting outside the auditorium. Just when I thought I was under-dressed for the occasion when a woman in a pink and purple jumpsuit which ended in something like harem pants came in. As some people (her friends) squeaked that she looked great and ten years younger. I was thankful I was under-dressed.
Anyways, coming to the play, it was a well-directed play. Especially the lighting was brilliant. The props were apt and the background score was in sync with the mood of the play as it faded in and out of the background.
The story is based on American playwright Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer winning play ‘Dinner with Friends’. It begins with a couple trying to analyze the breakup of the marriage of two of their close friends. En route, they begin deciphering the strength of their own marriage.
The casting is apt and includes Perizaad Zorabian, Tisca Chopra, Vinay Jain and Joy Sengupta. All the actors put up a good performance but I especially liked Joy Sengupta’s character. His comic timing was good and also because he had most of the funny lines.
I did feel that the play ended a little bit abruptly but it did leave us with a thought to ponder upon.
A well-spent evening, it was!